Pitch back games are not new, but generally involve various mechanisms for indicating a score which are either complicated and thereby expensive to produce or awkward in appearance thereby being difficult to read and understand. Additionally, many mechanisms are subject to failure and the like resulting in the game being inoperative.
Representative of the prior art devices in this field, is the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,196 issued Sept. 14, 1965 to C. E. Jackson. In that device, electronic signals are generated upon the impact of the ball against the net, which electronic signals illuminate a score indicating mechanism at the top of the target area. Since the device depends on a plurality of electrical components with a rather complicated mechanical support system, the device is complicated and can be subject to failure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,451 issued Dec. 19, 1972 to Dickson, discloses a device which depends on tensioned cords forming a harness to operate the device. This design is also subject to problems if the tension varies in the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,240 issued June 15, 1976 to Tidwell, describes a mechanism which forcefully returns the pitched object to the thrower and combines an audio gong to register the successful score. This device is somewhat complicated and requires substantial skill to operate.
For all the foregoing reasons, the devices available in the field suffer from one of many faults common to most devices, wherein either the device is complicated and subject to breakdown, expensive to manufacture and to produce or difficult for the user to operate successfully. All of these problems have been overcome by the subject invention which provides a mechanically operated device with few moving parts so constructed and arranged to operate in a substantially fail safe manner. Adjustment features are provided to vary the difficulty of actuating the device to register a score.